Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 91
‘In other words, Mother and Louise weren’t acquaintances during their days as gypsies.’
Afterwards, Lilith lived almost imprisoned in the Coffret Manor. Could there have been a reason for Louise to harbor ill will towards Lilith ever since they had entered the mansion?
Well… it’s possible.
Lilith wouldn’t intentionally torment Louise, but she’s inherently clumsy in dealing with others. She might have unwittingly poked at Louise’s sore spots.
The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.
Cecilia also knew very well how humans can hold on to even the trivial details, as vividly as a lineup of stuffed animals.
Ultimately, Louise’s act of handing over Poena’s Tears to Caroline was disadvantageous to Lilith. It seemed intent on sabotaging even the little place Lilith had left.
Even if she had no past connection with Lilith, her malice towards Lilith was crystal clear.
‘Since it concerns my mother, I can’t just let it slide.’
Cecilia showed Gil the medicine bottle she had brought.
“Ah, and this. I brought it because someone else carries a similar sedative. It seems a bit different from mine.”
It was Poena’s Tears, taken from Louise’s perfume bottle.
“Hmm? This has been tampered with.”
As soon as Gil saw the color of the drug, he pushed his glasses up and said,
‘Indeed, experience can’t be ignored. To recognize blood mixed in right away…’
Although she thought so, the point Gil mentioned was in an unexpected direction.
He sniffed the bottle, dropped a droplet on a flat glass surface, and observed it for a while.
“Mixing such tricky stuff into a sedative, huh. Whoever it is doesn’t seem to fancy sleeping easily?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Cecilia asked, pretending not to know.
“It’s been laced with poison.”
As expected. She had anticipated this.
However, she covered her mouth, feigning shock.
“Really? Poison?!”
Gil pinched the bridge of his nose, gathering wrinkles.
“No need to act so foolishly. Think about what you’ve bought from me.”
As Cecilia smiled sheepishly, he clicked his tongue.
“That darn household, how is it still standing up if such items keep coming out incessantly…”
“A common Count’s family.”
“In a common Count’s family, tragedy seems to be the trend.”
Indeed, plays dealing with betrayal, infidelity, revenge, and tragedy were the latest craze in salons, so Cecilia just sat quietly.
“Do you know what you’ve brought to me?”
“I swear I didn’t know.”
“Hmm, you seem sincere this time.”
Gil looked at her as if assessing, then waved his hand dismissively.
“This isn’t something just anyone knows about. Only those who use it know.”
“That means…”
“The person who used this drug is not just casually knowledgeable about poison. It’s different from a drug picked up somewhere in secret. This is a drug used by someone who knows their stuff.”
A drug picked up somewhere in secret.
‘Like Palmascas, perhaps…?’
Guinevere was meticulous, but not so versed in poison. If she had been more knowledgeable in pharmacology, she wouldn’t have been so easily outmaneuvered in her own schemes.
Thus, nobles have always had to use a drug with a ‘name’.
But this drug…
“This one has no name.”
Gil stated.
“They just lump it together as ‘bitter medicine’.”
Cecilia nodded, understanding.
Louise Cléon was from a gypsy background. Gypsies were generally proficient with medications. Lilith had left her group midway, but if Louise Cléon had stayed with hers for a long time, then it’s only natural that she would possess much more knowledge.
“Is this drug really that special?”
“Well? It’s not common, but it’s hard to say it’s remarkable. Poison is poison, and if you’re unlucky, it could be fatal… but there are many precautions to consider given its effects.”
“So it’s not something you’d specifically seek out to use for poisoning?”
“That’s right. It’s tricky to use because even those who use it risk being affected by its effects. It’s a volatile drug, so long-term exposure could cause side effects through the nasal passages.”
“What kind of side effects?”
Gil answered with a vague smile,
“Infertility.”
“…Infertility?”
Cecilia frowned.
‘Not leading to death, but just being unable to have children?’
